This could well change the landscape of this twitter thingy.

http://bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=...&Itemid=125

Beanpot

@kosar_for_president said:

Sorry, I just saw this post after I replied to your earlier post.

I think we're in complete agreement about Twitter. ME, ME, ME is *exactly* right about most of the twitters/tweeters.

Beanpot

@kosar_for_president said:

Wow bro, I think you're incredibly naive if you think Twitter is simply a fad - or gay, vocabularies vary from house to cave.

There most certainly is a reason why two-thirds of the users quit using it after thirty days - they're not at all interesting - self-importance be damned. But there's a ton of potential for the x% of users who happen to be interesting. Simmons, I think, said it well in his interview with mediaite:

3. What’s the biggest story the media has missed this year?

The potential of Twitter. Old-school media doesn’t get Twitter at all. A lot of people still think it’s a fad and it’s totally not a fad. Cocaine was a fad. The Osbournes were a fad. Auto-asphyxiation was a fad…. well, unless you were David Carradine. If anything I think we are just scratching the surface of Twitter for better and worse: it started breaking stories last spring and over everything else, that’s why it won’t go away. Now reporters are posting scoops on Twitter before they send the finished stories into their employers. People are not seeing what is happening here. Facebook is a social network; Twitter is a media/marketing vehicle disguised as a social network.

http://www.mediaite.com/columnists/5qq-bill-simmons/

Beanpot

@cimo. said:

Yea if you wait 10 minutes you can get those same updates on the web. Yea, I can see the use for it for business and media outlets, sure. But for the other 90% of users telling me they just took a shit, Twitter is just more proof of these bitches yelling ME, ME, ME. Believe me dude, I am a web and design guy and embrace technology, but personal Twitter usage is for 11 year old girls.

You want to see an actual useful site, as least for designers. Here. LINK

I don't disagree. The people using it as a personal site just randomly saying what their plan for the day is...shouldn't last longer than a year. But in terms of using it for instant news, updates, rumors...it could be a revolution. I first heard about everything that happened at the trade deadline through twitter. Just have to know who's worth following.

@cimo. said:

Sorry bro, Twitter is gay. They boast their millions of users, but what their marketing team fails to disclose is 60%, yes 60%, of all users quit using it after 30 days. There is a reason for that. That number will continue to rise.

@beanpot said:

After that, I'm going to go back to the football portion of this site and rationally talk about my love for the Browns and their chances this season. Fingers crossed that all goes well!

Beanpot

LOL, very well put.

The only thing that worries me, since I'm a pretty big Shapiro fan, is the talk that he even offered Victor for Buchholz straight up...and Lastoria is saying he offered Lee for him straight up. I know the rest of the world is much higher on Buchholz than I am, but that Lee trade would probably make me vomit. I just can't see the hype with that guy at almost 25 years old, especially seeing a guy like Clayton Kershaw dominating after just turning 21 before the season...and even more especially when so many other top prospects are getting thrust into the rotation at 20 or 21 years old whereas he's been given plenty of time to slowly develop his game. Even someone like Joba Chamberlain who seems custom made for the bullpen is turning into a reliable starter.

I'm obviously no scout, but it seems like so much is made of his arsenal of pitches, but it doesn't make much of a difference what you throw when you're walking guys and giving up home runs. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe he's a late bloomer (or as late a bloomer as you can be with a no-hitter at 22) and will be a Cy Young candidate for years to come. He's just a guy I can't get excited about.

Simmons is pretty much the awesome when it comes to Twitter. Along with Schefter - http://twitter.com/Adam_Schefter - and Windhorst - http://twitter.com/PDcavsinsider - Law too - http://twitter.com/keithlaw

Still, my favorite is http://twitter.com/rainnwilson - all sorts of goodness there.

Beanpot

I was slow to come around...but I'm definitely on the twitter wagon these days...I just can't stand to use any of its terminology out loud. I still don't get all the athletes or celebrities with tens of thousands of followers when all they talk about is what kind of sandwich they're eating (check out Matt LaPorta's http://twitter.com/gator4god), but it's great for news. I pretty much just stick to the local guys with a few nationals...Law and Stark for my baseball, Bucher and Stein for basketball, Simmons for everything. Haven't bothered with football yet but I guess I should with camp starting...

@cimo. said:

Simmons is pretty much the awesome when it comes to Twitter. Along with Schefter - http://twitter.com/Adam_Schefter - and Windhorst - http://twitter.com/PDcavsinsider - Law too - http://twitter.com/keithlaw

Still, my favorite is http://twitter.com/rainnwilson - all sorts of goodness there.

Beanpot

@cimo. said:

But people have heard of Buchholz. The same can't be said for Hagadone. Hence, it was an awful trade and I'm going to stop supporting a team I've only casually supported. In addition to that, I'm going to scream on the internet that I'm really, really pissed. Ownership so sucks and they do everything wrong.

After that, I'm going to go back to the football portion of this site and rationally talk about my love for the Browns and their chances this season. Fingers crossed that all goes well!

Beanpot

That's a 6.05 ERA for a guy turning 25 in a couple weeks, who made it to the majors in 2007 and still hasn't become a fixture in Boston. Yet he would've made everything right if we landed him straight up for Victor.

Here's Bill Simmons on him, via twiter

sportsguy33 Watching Sox with @jacoby_ - decided Theo Epstein is DeNiro in Casino + Buchholz is Sharon Stone .

Baseball Prospectus: Is Cleveland back in the Cory Snyder era?

Let's give Mark Shapiro and his crew some credit. They rebuilt an Indians team on the downswing in relatively short order and made a couple of runs at the American League pennant while also swinging some impressive deals despite coming up short -- especially last year's additions of Matt LaPorta in the CC Sabathia trade and catcher Carlos Santana in a stone steal from the Dodgers. (Santana has a .280 batting average with a .398 on-base percentage and .537 slugging percentage at Double-A.) The team's player development program also is doing better but has been favoring sluggers for the corners such as Nick Weglarz. There's hope the crew of position-playing prospects will add balance in terms of better athleticism up the middle, and that their pitching prospects will help replace Sabathia and Cliff Lee. Lots of mistakes have been made near Lake Erie in recent years, and a teardown of the big league club was necessary after so many serial disappointments. There's no need to party like it's 1989. --Christina Kahrl

Still, her (their) relationship with Woolner should be taken into account here.

I was following a chat with Sickles throughout the deadline and he offers his take on the Martinez trade here:

Victor Martinez from the Indians to the Red Sox for Justin Masterson, Bryan Price, and Nick Hagadone. I do understand this one. The Indians have a great young catcher coming up in Carlos Santana, so trading Martinez makes sense.. Masterson looks like a number three sinkerball starter to me, Price has a live arm and could be good in the pen eventually. Hagadone is a breakthrough candidate once he is further down the road for Tommy John. From Boston's perspective, they add another strong veteran bat, but didn't trade any of their truly elite prospects. Win for both teams.

http://www.minorleagueball.com/2009/8/1/97...dline-reactions

Beanpot

Beanpot

@ballpeen said:

Ball, the Tribe did generate close to what NY and LA in the 90's before Cablevision was sold. Those cities' teams own the cable station they play on. I was close to one in the Dolan's ring and this is the single reason we don't have the money to spend. He sells Cablevision for like 2 billion, puts it in his pocket and doesn't spend it on his other business, the Cleveland Indians.

@kosar_for_president said:

Wait sorry they will go out and sign a Jason Michaels or Ronnie Belliard. Never mind.

The reality is Cleveland is a small mkt team. We just picked up 11 top prospects without giving bonus money. That is the way the Clevelands of the world have to operate. Support for teams isn't just fans in the seats..a big chunk of the revenue flow is TV dollars, and Cleveland just doesn't generate what a NY, LA, or Chicago will...simply a fact.

I don't fear Dolan and think he will spend money when it makes sense....and really, the team we have...or had...it didn't make sense...signing a big name wasn't going to turn that team around.

Now we have a core that hopefully develops...I see it similar to when we traded guys like Joe Carter and started to bring in prospects like Baerga, Alomar, Thome etc...

Baseball is funny...it's easy to get stuck in the mud, and more often than not the best way out is to back out rather than push through.

@playerjdd said:

Victor was a good trade. But like I said, it's not about trading these players, it's the fact they are going to sign ANYONE after trading these players.

Wait sorry they will go out and sign a Jason Michaels or Ronnie Belliard. Never mind.

@ballpeen said:

We just picked up 11 top prospects.

In the big picture, this was a good move. If half of these guys come close to their projected value, we will be solid for years to come.

You have to think the big picture.

I like it.

It's sort of the chicken or the egg.

I agree somewhat, but the real big picture is the Dolan's are not spending money no matter how many fans there were in the seat. We backed a Dolan run team for what, 13 years with 2 playoff seasons. Which 3 million+ were in attendance for many years and made them a bunch of money. Small market team my ass (now they are but they didn't use to be). It was a good move trading Victor, but it shouldn't be the question of "we weren't going to sign him anyway, let's start over". They should spend the money we gave them on players, Victor or not. Lee is a prime example. It's his fault he didn't put money away to sign players. I just can't get behind that type of Economics. If the Dolan's sign some real talent, I'll get my ticket pack back. I love the Indians like a family but sorry I have thought about it, I am done. I am NOT giving them my money anymore.

Watch I am going to eat crow here, watch the tribe win 20 in a row.

We just picked up 11 top prospects.

In the big picture, this was a good move. If half of these guys come close to their projected value, we will be solid for years to come.

You have to think the big picture.

I like it.

@cimo. said:

I'm actually pretty much the opposite in terms of Lee/Vic.....basically just because I liked Vic a hell of a lot more than Lee. Lee's really only had 2 and half years of all-star performance, and I still can't get over how different '07 could've been with the 2008 Lee. I know he wasn't trying to pitch as bad as he did...but still. Vic's been our man for years, it's a punch to the gut to see him leave and I'm probably going to get teary eyed when I see his press conference.

You know, it's all good, CIMO, you know your shit, bro, even if you live in Texas you hillbilly, jk. We have a common place for our team here and fights are going to happen. In a Steelers chat room they are taking about meeting each other downtown for a blow. Here, we are passionate, which is why the lowly Browns have sold out for 10 years straight with shit ass teams. I like a lot of players but Lee was a CY Young period. The ONLY reason we did as well at the end of last season as we did was Lee (well not including Garko, who I think had 35 RBI's in 40 games). It's almost like losing a family, but not one family member at a time, it's the whole family in a car wreak.

@cimo. said:

You and me both. This trade was a kick in the gut. Even more so after reading about him in tears at his locker.

Wish him mad success in Boston.

Beanpot

@kosar_for_president said:

That's so awesome, you've won the Internets!

Beanpot

@kosar_for_president said:

I say we go an sign Sal Fasano for fun.

p.s. CIMO you need to change your Avitar to Tony Sipp.

-signed Blue Balls

Yep, we got into it yesterday but I see your points, too. For me it's just a matter of....even if we made some dumb moves in past...there's nothing we can do about it now. You see years of getting rid of star players, I see no chance of winning in '09 and a very unlikely chance of winning in '10....and we weren't going to re-sign these guys past then so you have to make sure 2011 and beyond is as good as possible.

I'm actually pretty much the opposite in terms of Lee/Vic.....basically just because I liked Vic a hell of a lot more than Lee. Lee's really only had 2 and half years of all-star performance, and I still can't get over how different '07 could've been with the 2008 Lee. I know he wasn't trying to pitch as bad as he did...but still. Vic's been our man for years, it's a punch to the gut to see him leave and I'm probably going to get teary eyed when I see his press conference.